Steve Watson, 53, replied to an advert from the BBC asking for an actor to play a person of interest in the Julie Pacey murder for the TV show.

The mother-of-two, who had been strangled and sexually assaulted, was found dead in September 1994 at her home in Grantham, Lincolnshire. The appeal - filmed at Mrs Lacey’s home shortly after her death - featured a distinctive tall man wearing a blue boiler suit who police wanted to trace, played by Steve, then 31. The father - who bears an eerie resemblance to the police e-fit - claims he was abused by confused locals who bizarrely assumed he was the killer after his performance was aired.